EPMS Handbook

The middle school counseling program works directly with students, parents, staff, and the community to address the academic, career, and personal/social aspects of our students. The program is designed to include a responsive service component to intervene when a student is at-risk, an individual planning system to assist students in monitoring their own development and achieve their academic potential, and collaboration and consultation within the educational system to increase student success. The school counselor is vital to the achievement of excellence in education for all students. Parents may contact the Counseling Office by calling 970-586-4439  or the student may visit the front office to sign up to see the counselor.  For the 23-24 school year, we will have a virtual counselor who will meet with students through a secure system.

Regular and prompt attendance at school is essential to a positive school experience and is the foundation for learning.  Schools are legally required to monitor attendance, notify parents of absences, and implement interventions to address absences. Exceptions are made for cases of personal illness, medical and dental attention, and family emergencies.  We will also excuse absences required by religious holidays, court appearances, and extreme weather conditions.  EPMS is a closed campus; therefore, students may not leave school grounds without parent permission. Students must be present at least one-half day on the day of an activity, such as an athletic event, field trips, club meetings, assemblies, concerts, etc., to be eligible to participate.  See the district attendance policy for more information.

Tardies

Tardiness is defined as the appearance of a student without proper excuse after the scheduled time that a class begins. Because of the disruptive nature of tardiness, consequences shall be imposed for excessive tardiness. 

Absences

We request that a parent/guardian call the school at 970-586-4439 or text the registrar the MORNING of the absence, stating the reason for the absence and to inform the school of an absence.  A physician’s verification of illness for excessive absences will be requested. The absence will be considered UNEXCUSED if there is no correspondence from the parent/guardian. PowerSchool will generate two daily automated phone calls to the parent of a student who has an unexcused absence or tardy on the day of the absence. If calling is not possible, we ask that the parent/guardian send a text.

Excessive Absences

A student is considered habitually truant when they have missed 4 total days of unexcused absences from school in any one month, OR 10 total days of unexcused absences during any school year. If a child becomes habitually truant, the school can begin a truancy case.  Please see the district attendance policy on the website.

Chronic Absenteeism: A student is considered chronically absent when they have missed 16 total absences in a school year, whether the absences are excused or unexcused.

Pre-Arranged Absences

Absences for family vacations are strongly discouraged on regularly scheduled school days.  However, if a student is to be absent from school due to a family vacation, a contract regarding this absence MUST be completed one week PRIOR to departure, or as far in advance as possible for emergency situations.  An “Informed Vacation Consent” form is available in the school office. It is the responsibility of the student to pick up any make-up assignments, and make arrangements for learning the lessons they will miss while away from school.

Illness during the Day

Students who become ill during the school day must report to the office.  If it is necessary for a student to leave school because of illness, the district nurse, or person in authority in the absence of the district nurse, must obtain permission from a parent/guardian to release the student.  The parent/guardian must sign the student out before leaving.  At no time will the student be allowed to leave without permission.  Students are not to call or text parents from personal devices to pick them up.  They MUST check out through the office. 

If a child needs to leave school grounds during the school day for any reason, they must be signed out through the office by a parent/guardian.  If a student is to leave with another adult, or will be walking to a nearby appointment, a note or call to the office is necessary.  In addition, the student must sign out in the office.

Make-Up Work

Make-up work will be arranged AFTER the student returns to school, unless the period of absence has extended beyond TWO days.  For extended absences, make-up work can be collected by calling the school office.  We will need to provide our teachers with a full day’s notice to prepare make-up assignments, so they will not be available until the day following your phone call.

Withdraw or Transfer

If a student plans to withdraw or transfer from the school at any time during the school year, the parent/guardian must notify the office prior to the last day of attendance.  The student will be required to complete a check out form indicating that all books have been returned and all fines and fees are settled.  Students’ records will not be transferred to any person or agency outside the school district nor will a student be allowed to register for classes unless a proper check out procedure has been completed by the student and signed by a parent/guardian.

Parent/Guardian Volunteers

We encourage active parental involvement in the educational development of our students.  We welcome and encourage parents/guardians, grandparents, friends, and general community members to volunteer time for the benefit of children at Estes Park Middle School. Volunteers need to check in the office through our Securly system, leave their driver’s license or other form of picture ID and will receive a Visitor Badge on a yellow lanyard.  

Parent/Guardian-Teacher & Student Conferences

We hold parent/teacher conferences in the fall and student-led conferences in the spring 

Parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to contact the middle school and arrange appointments to discuss any concerns as they occur.  Conferences may be arranged with individual instructors or with grade level academic teams. EPMS teachers have voice mail messaging service,  email and text messaging.  Parents/Guardians may call the office at 586-4439 and request to leave a message. Voice mail extensions and email addresses for the staff are listed on the middle school staff page in this handbook.  Every attempt will be made to return the call or email within 24 hours. Please contact us with any concerns, comments, accomplishments of your child, or any other bit of information that would help us in serving your child. We want to hear from you! 

Middle School Accountability Committee (MSAC)

The Middle School Accountability Committee represents the school community’s point of view at large. Each accountability committee concerns itself with the improvement of education, safety, and learning environment for students in its school. The MSAC works in cooperation with the principal. Monthly  meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month, 4:00-5:00 pm in the Middle School library.  These meetings are all open to the public. We hope to see you there.   

PTO 

This is a parent organization that plans and organizes school events and fundraisers and supports the school in multiple ways. We are still in the beginning stages of getting a PTO organized and would love to have more parents and family members involved.  

District Advisory & Accountability Committee (DAAC)

As a volunteer on the District Advisory & Accountability Committee, you will play an important role in Estes Park School District R-3 by providing community oversight of the district’s educational program. The committee works with each school community to ensure that students are achieving the academic goals adopted by Estes Park Board of Education. District Advisory & Accountability Committee meetings are held monthly September through May, dates TBA.

Visitors

Parents/guardians are encouraged to visit our school and/or classes at any time. Visitors must check-in at the main office through our Securly system, drop off their driver’s license, and receive a “visitor ID badge.”  We encourage parents/guardians to schedule their visitations ahead of time.  Visitors who are on campus who have not checked in will be asked to check in.

Students are not allowed to bring visitors nor have visitors meet them at school.  We will allow students to bring a guest to lunch, if prior arrangements are made in the school office. This applies to school dances as well. 

Patriotism

Colorado Revised Statutes require that each classroom display the American flag.  Estes Park School District R-3 stresses pride and allegiance to the country in which we live. We begin every day by saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Should your religious convictions forbid your child’s participation in this activity, he/she may choose not to participate by remaining quietly seated during the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance.

Personal Check Writing Guidelines

The District will gladly accept your checks. When you provide a check as payment, you authorize us either to use information from the check to make a one-time electronic fund transfer from your account or to process the payment as a check transaction. You authorize us to collect a fee through an electronic fund transfer from your account if your payment is returned unpaid. All return items will be processed through PFC Check Solutions powered by eTranz. Parents are advised that they must include the following on their checks: 

• Full Name 

• Street Address 

• Two Contact Phone Numbers

Standardized Testing

Our students will take the Colorado Measures for Academic Success (CMAS) which is a summative state assessment,  in the spring.  District Level Assessments are interim assessments given three times a year through the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) MAP test (Measure of Academic Progress). Students are assessed in reading, math, and science. The results of these tests are shared with parents/guardians,  and those who desire a follow-up conference are encouraged to contact teachers.    

Homework

The following items pertain to homework at our school:

1. Homework may be assigned to reinforce new concepts in a class.

2. Feedback regarding homework performance will be provided to students.

3. Homework will be assigned for practice, preparation for examination, extension of an activity, or to tap student creativity.

4. Parents may utilize Schoology or the PowerSchool parent portal or text or email teachers  as a means to communicate if questions arise during homework. 

5. Adequate lead time will be provided if extra books or materials will be needed for a homework assignment.

6. New homework assignments are not usually assigned for completion during school holidays; however, it may happen for a special project.

7. If a student does not complete work during time provided in class, they will need to complete it at home. 

Reporting Student Progress

Progress reports are posted three times during the grading period and Report Cards are issued at the end of each semester. 

• Teachers assign practice assignments, formative and summative assessments. Formative assessments may include exit tickets, classwork, quizzes. Summative assessments may include traditional tests, projects, presentations or extended writing assignments and are weighted more heavily than formative assessments. We are constantly assessing student progress and adjusting our instruction to support students as they work toward mastery.  

• Practice assignments may not always be graded but must be completed. 

• Teachers allow retakes and redos (with a focus on sections/skills/standards not mastered) until end of unit to ensure mastery. If a student has completed the practice assignments for the unit, they may retake the formative and summative assessments. 

• We do not penalize late work. This does not mean there are no deadlines; teachers may issue cut-off dates for submissions.     

• There are multiple ways for students to demonstrate understanding/mastery.

Honor Roll

After each grading period, the principal’s office will identify those students who have recorded a grade point average between 3.3 and 3.9 earning the Bobcat Honor Roll.  Students with a perfect 4.0 grade point average will be placed on the Principal’s Honor Roll.  Honor roll students receive formal recognition through our weekly S’more newsletter, our school website  the Trail-Gazette, The Estes Park News and our ROARS Assemblies. 

The GPA is determined by a point system. GPA = Sum of (Grade Value x Term GPA)/Sum of Term GPA

Retention

Retention of a student shall be considered when student performance is significantly below ability and/or grade level and when retention would have a reasonable chance of benefiting the child.  The school staff would also consider the social or emotional adjustment of the student.  

Deficient academic performance shall be defined as:

• Failing grades (F) in three of the academic areas: language arts, mathematics, reading, science, or social studies, OR
• Failing grades (F) in two of the above listed academic areas with low grades (D) in other areas.

School Athletics and Activities  

See the district handbook and/or the Athletics website for more information 

The Middle School provides a variety of co- and extracurricular activities for students. Some of these activities take place during school and others take place within the school day.  These include football, volleyball, cross country, swimming, basketball, wrestling, track, and soccer.

Clubs and activities include the following:  Brain Bowl, Environmental Resilience Team, Girls Who Code, Chess Club, Student Council, Yearbook, Beekeepers Club, Interact Club and Climbing Club. The emphasis of the programs are to have students develop basic skills and to encourage them to explore a variety of activities during the year.  

Students who participate in the interscholastic sports programs require a current (within one calendar year) physical evaluation, signed by a medical doctor, proof of personal medical insurance, and compliance with Estes Park School District R-3 training rules.  Parents who do not carry personal medical insurance may obtain information in the school office to purchase a student policy.

Any student misconduct during an out-of town activity will be reported to a school Administrator on the next regular school day after the activity and consequences will be given as necessary.

Dance Guidelines

When dances are held, they are held in the middle school gymnasium or student commons.  Students attending the dances must adhere to the middle school’s dress code and ROARS behavior expectations. If a student leaves the building at any time before the end of the dance, they will not be allowed back in the building.  No outside drinks or water bottles are allowed at school dances. 

Lockers

Students will be provided a locker in which to store books and coats and to keep their cell phone if they have one. The locker is considered school property and may be searched by school officials, with or without permission.  There are no locks on the lockers, but  students may request to have locks installed.  There are cameras in all hallways with views of lockers. 

The school is not responsible for the loss or theft of personal items from students at school.  However, it is important that students report any loss or damage to the office.  We  discourage students from bringing valuables and/or money to school or to school activities.  Students may not share lockers, switch lockers with another student, or rig their locker if it has a lock. 

Care of School Equipment

Students are entrusted with the care of lockers, books and general equipment during the school year. Damage to any school equipment obligates the student or parent/guardian for restitution in the form of repair or replacement costs. 

Bicycles, Skateboards, Scooters

Students may ride their bicycles, skateboards, scooters and rollerblades to school. For safety of others, we ask that students do not ride on the sidewalks, on the grassy hills in front of the school or on the bus loop.  Also, if students fail to operate their bikes, skateboards, scooters and rollerblades on campus in a safe manner, they may lose the privilege of riding them to school and parking them on school property. Bicycles must be parked in the racks in front of the building. Skateboards, scooters and rollerblades must be kept in student lockers. It is the sole responsibility of the student rider to use security locks to prevent theft.  The school assumes no responsibility for bicycles parked in the racks during the school day.

Lost and Found

Middle school students sometimes misplace articles of clothing, backpacks, etc.  Items found are kept in the student commons and office for up to one month.  Lost and found is readily accessible to both students and parents/guardians. Items that are not claimed within the month will be donated to charity. 

Field Trips

Field trips taken during the regular school day are considered a part of the school program. The school will notify parents/guardians of a daily field trip by sending written notices home with the students. Parent volunteers are encouraged to chaperone on field trips. Students must have signed permission from a parent/guardian for each field trip to be allowed to participate. 

Appropriate Dress

Appropriate dress and grooming for school is the responsibility of parents/guardians and students.  The school principal retains the right to take action when student dress is inappropriate for school. Parents will be notified in the case of a serious dress code violation. 

Cell Phones

• Cell phones are to be kept in lockers during the day from 8am until 3:20. This includes recess/lunch time and all electives, including Horticulture, Band and Choir classes held in the high school. 

• First mistake: phone goes to classroom “phone jail.”  Student can pick it up at the end of the day

• Second mistake: teacher places the phone in “jail” again where the student can pick it up at the end of the day

• If a student continues to struggle to keep their phone in their locker, parents may be called in to collect the phone and to meet with the student and principal.  

Headphones/Earbuds:  Students may not wear bluetooth headphones or earbuds at any time during the day unless approved by the teacher for use as part of classroom instruction.  These will also go to “jail” in the classroom until the end of the day. 

Electronic Devices and Toys

Items not related to the learning environment should remain at home. Items include, but are not limited to personal computers or tablets,headphones, electronic games, etc. Electronic devices brought to school are expected to be turned off and students are encouraged to leave devices in their lockers from the start of the school day to the end (8:00 a.m. and 3:20 p.m.) with the exception of approved use by administration or teacher permission. CELL PHONES AND CAMERAS ARE NEVER TO BE USED IN RESTROOMS OR LOCKER ROOMS. THE SCHOOL IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR LOST OR STOLEN ITEMS. Electronic items not used under the stated guidelines will be confiscated and brought to the Principal’s office. The student may pick up the device at the end of the day for the first offense, the second time a parent/guardian must pick it up.

Telephone Use/Student Messages

School phones are intended for employee use only.  Students must have permission from staff to use the school phones. The school will take important messages from a parent/guardian to a student and attempt to relay information. Students may use the office phone to make an emergency phone call.  

Breakfast and Lunch Program

A type “A” school lunch and breakfast program as established by federal regulations is served each day.  Breakfast is available on Monday through Friday at 7:45.  All breakfast and lunches are free of charge for the 2023-2024 school year.  

Prices for this year are as follows:

Breakfast - All grades NO charge; Adults $3.20

Lunch - All grades NO charge; Adults $4.50

Student lunches are served in the Middle School cafeteria. EPMS is a closed campus; once on school grounds, students are not allowed to leave unless a parent/guardian checks them out of school early. Students have 30 minutes for lunch/recess.  They are to eat at school unless dismissed by a parent/guardian and personally returned to school. If you take your child out for lunch, they must be back to school in time for their next class. 

Free and reduced-priced meals are available to those who meet federal income guidelines.  Applications for free or reduced meals are available in the school office and at the website. These applications need to be updated each school year, although all breakfasts and lunches are free of charge this year, as we use this information for field trip, athletic fee waivers and event scholarships.

Snacks

Students should not bring food into the classrooms.  On occasion, with teacher and admin permission, classes may have a class “party” or a snack as a reward.  The Wellness Committee recommends that food-based treats no longer be used as rewards in the classroom unless they are healthy snacks. The office does not provide snacks to students. 

Parties, Special Events

Student academic performance, athletic accomplishments, attendance, attitude and behaviors are also celebrated with academic awards assemblies, and extracurricular pep assemblies. We also recognize Bullying Prevention and Awareness Month, Citizenship and Earth Days, Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month and many others.  

School Boundaries

Once school has started for the day, students are not generally permitted on the north (front) side of the building except when traveling between the middle and high school, or leaving campus with a parent or guardian. The boundaries for students on the playground (rear) of the building are the bottom of the hill to the south, the basketball courts to the east, and the path to the elementary school to the west.  Students are not permitted behind the boiler room building south of the school.  Classes under the supervision of a teacher may go outside the boundary areas. In addition, students may travel to another building on campus (high school, aquatics center, elementary school) for classes or activities.  Students who leave these boundaries without permission will be considered truant.

Entry and Exit Doors 

All students  enter and exit via the main front doors in the morning.

Students may exit via the cafeteria door, front door or west doors after school.

Students traveling to the high school for band or choir classes, leave and return through the main front doors.  

Posters at School

Because the school is used for many functions during the year, it’s important to keep the school looking as neat as possible. In order to do this, the following rules apply to posters:

1. Only school-sponsored activities may be advertised throughout the school building.

2. All posters need to be signed by the principal or designee to be displayed on bulletin boards. They must be taken down after the event is completed.

3. Writing of any kind is not allowed on walls.

4. A community announcement area exists in the commons for advertising non-school sponsored activities and events in the community.

Video Recorders

The District has installed video capability throughout the school campus and on all school buses to monitor school transportation and in buildings in hallways, etc. Tapes will be reviewed on a routine basis and evidence of student misconduct will be documented. Students found to be in violation of the district’s conduct rules and regulations will be notified and disciplinary action will be initiated under the Code of Conduct or Discipline Code.

If a student becomes ill or is injured during a class period, he or she is to notify the teacher.  The teacher will then issue a pass to the health office.  If illness occurs during a recess or passing period, students are to report to the supervisor of that activity or to their next class to obtain an office pass. The health office personnel will evaluate the illness or injury and take appropriate action. The office staff will attempt to notify parents, guardians or emergency contacts for any illness or injury that is considered serious in nature and that requires more than normal school monitoring or first aid.  If a child has vomiting, diarrhea, or a temperature of 100 degrees or higher, parents will be contacted to take the child home.  

Because of the need to contact parents, it is extremely important to have  completed emergency contact information in Power School.

Students should not text or email their parent to pick them up.  They must come to the office and we will contact parents/guardians.

ROARS

• Respect

• Ownership

• Attentiveness

• Responsibility

• Safety

A school is a community of young people and adults organized for the purpose of teaching and learning. While much of our teaching in the classroom is aimed at the development of individual skill and talent, we also believe that the maintenance of a positive learning environment through appropriate discipline is essential to the educational process. We believe in a positive approach to student discipline and use a model called Positive Behavior Support. This program calls for defining the behaviors we want students to use and using positive reinforcement to promote such behavior.  The acronym “ROARS” is used as a teaching tool for expected behavior.  Students will adhere to ROARS behaviors in all areas of the school and school grounds and ROARS will be explicitly taught at the beginning of the year and retaught  throughout the year.  

Student Misconduct

Student misconduct may result in disciplinary actions including assignment to periods of detention (before school, at lunch/recess, during breaks, after school), in-house suspension, out of school suspension, and/or expulsion.  All cases of student misconduct resulting in disciplinary action will require the elements of due process and parental notification as required by state law and/or district policy.  Processes for appeal of disciplinary action will be supplied upon request.  We are a Restorative Practices district, and will apply these practices to most disciplinary situations.

Conduct and Safety

On or off- campus, in any school classroom, building or vehicle, or at any school activity, student conduct is expected to comply with the standards of behaviors addressed in District Policy, in the interest of avoiding any disruptions to, or interference with, the educational process; additionally, no threats to the safety and well-being of any persons will be tolerated.  At all times and in all circumstances, students are expected to exhibit behavior that is appropriate to the time, location, and intended function of a given area or activity. 

Thus, students are expected to

• Follow established district, school, and classroom rules. (ROARS) 

• Act in a manner that supports the goals, processes, and benefits of public education.

• Accept responsibility for their own behavior.

• Demonstrate respect for other persons, their rights, and their property.

• Refrain from acting in any way that could harm or injure themselves or others.

• Avoid disruption of, and/or interference with, the processes of learning and teaching.

See the district student handbook for more detail regarding the code of conduct.  

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to refrain from giving or receiving unauthorized assistance on any test or assignment; students are expected to refrain from plagiarism or any other form of academic dishonesty.  Students are expected to

• Maintain academic integrity and honesty.

• Avoid cheating, copying, or claiming credit for work that is not their own. This includes use of AI. 

• Contribute to and fully participate in any group work, as assigned by teachers.

Attendance/Promptness

Students are expected to be in their assigned classrooms promptly at the beginning of each school day/class period.  Repeated and serious truancy and/or tardiness will warrant parent contract and disciplinary consequences, which may include a parent meeting. 

Cooperation with Persons in Authority

Students are expected to cooperate with persons in authority. This includes refraining from giving false information/false accusations to school or law enforcement authorities. 

Parental Responsibilities

In certain instances, the parents/guardians of students who violate school Code of Conduct may be required to participate in restorative conversations and/or creating or implementing remedial discipline plans. Parents/guardians may be required to provide restitution for damages or other costs associated with certain misbehaviors of their children.

Announcements and Newsletters

Student announcements are read daily. The Middle School Update Newsletter is sent out weekly on Fridays and includes general information, current events, and monthly calendar updates. The news will be available electronically on our school website.

Messages

Every attempt will be made to deliver emergency messages to students. For non-emergency messages, please contact the school by 12:00 pm as many students have classes at the high school in the afternoon, and assemblies/activities take place during the afternoon which makes it difficult to deliver messages. Please make arrangements for after-school activities before your student leaves in the morning.

Power School 

Power School is a web-based Student Information System which provides real-time information to school administrators, teachers, parents, and students. Parents can check their child’s attendance, grade history and view school bulletins logging into PS  using their unique User ID and password. User IDs and passwords are distributed at registration and are available upon request. Current users with identification codes may continue to use the same information to access the portal. Students are also provided a personal login the first week of school, so parents should not give their login information to their child. Teachers are required to update their grade books weekly for eligibility. See the district website for specific information on accessing Power School.

Schoology 

Schoology is a learning management system for teachers and students to access assignments, information, assessment and evaluation of learning.  Parents can create a Schoology account to access their student’s class information.  

iPads

Students will be issued an iPad the first week of school. This iPad is the property of the school and intended for school use only. Only education-related Apps will be allowed on the iPad. Students will be allowed to carry the iPad to and from school and use it at home. Upon issuing the iPad to students, parents have the option to opt out of the agreement to take the iPad home. Students and parents sign the iPad Agreement in Power School agreeing to follow the guidelines for use.  See more information online at www.estesschools.org. 

Voice Mail/Email/Text

The staff at EPMS uses email and or voicemail. Teachers and staff members check their email/voicemail on a daily basis during the school hours. Email addresses and voice mail numbers are listed in the front of this handbook. Email access is available through IC and our school website. Every attempt will be made to return the call or email within 24 hours. You may also text teachers through our kinvo system.
 

The administration in Estes Park School District R-3 recognizes that the academic program must have top priority in the educational process.  There is also agreement that numerous benefits are derived by promoting student participation in athletic and activity programs (co and extracurricular activities).  Among these benefits are high attendance rates, better grades, community involvement, improved school spirit and student morale, less discipline issues, and the enhancement of student self-awareness. The athletic and activity programs also contribute to the development of positive student/staff relations.

Eligibility

In addition to the accompanying standards of conduct, students who participate in sports or other extra-curricular activities may be required to maintain eligibility for participation through acceptable standards of grades and behavior, as determined by administrators, coaches, or sponsors, and described in detail in District Policy.

• Estes Park Middle School promotes positive achievement standards for our students. Each week, classroom instructors provide the office with  students’ grades.

• Any student receiving two “Fs”  will be ineligible to participate in interscholastic games for a minimum of one week beginning on the Tuesday following the period marked and concluding on the next Monday.  Coaches and sponsors are responsible for notifying ineligible students of their status. Coaches and sponsors will also ensure that their participants/students attend tutoring or receive other support to improve their grade during the week of ineligibility.

A student must meet eligibility standards on a weekly basis in order to represent Estes Park Middle School as a member of any school activity. (Note – scheduled performances or concerts of regular school classes, including band and choir, are considered school activities if a grade is given for participation.  These performances may be held during the assigned class time or outside the regular school day. General eligibility will not apply to large group festivals.)

Behavioral Eligibility 

The school administration has the responsibility to see that students who represent Estes Park School District R-3 meet standards of personal behavior, in addition to standards of academic performance. A student may be declared ineligible for a specific period of time if, in the judgment of the school administration, the student is not representative of the school’s ideals in matters of conduct and sportsmanship.  To appeal a decision, the student, with parents/guardians or legal custodian, may schedule a conference with the Principal/ Designee.